E911 legislation passed the Senate Commerce Committee Thurs. afte...

E911 legislation passed the Senate Commerce Committee Thurs. after almost no discussion. The bill (S-1250), by Senate Communications Subcommittee Chmn. Burns (R-Mont.), probably will be modified before it’s approved by the full Senate. Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) said there were concerns about the role the FCC would be given and the agency’s authority should be “carefully prescribed.” The bill would give the FCC authority to monitor state spending on E911, reviewing it twice each year. Burns said many states, while assessing a fee on cellphone bills for E911 spending, had used the funds on other budgetary matters. Rep. Shimkus (R-Ill.) is expected to introduce similar legislation in the House next week. Shimkus and Burns are co-chmn. of the Congressional E911 Caucus, along with Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Eshoo (R-Cal.). S-1250 also would distribute $500 million to states for E911 deployment. States that have raided their E911 funds wouldn’t be eligible for the federal grants, which would be distributed through NTIA after consultation with the Dept. of Homeland Security. The bill also would establish a NTIA task force that would help coordinate E911 deployment. CTIA supports the bill.